Improvement in coffins



E. H. COVEL.

Corpse Cooler.

Inventon Patentedr May 1o, 1864.

Witnesses:

AM. PHOTO-LITRO. CDM-Y. (OSBORNE'S PRO CSSS.)

UNITED STATES PATENT OEECE.

E. HALL COVEL, 0F NEW YORK, N. Y.

MPROVEMENT IN COFFINS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 12,611 I dated May 10,1864.

To all whom it may concern.:

Be it known that I, E. HALL CovEL, of the city of New York, in the Stateof New York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement inGaskets for Preserving the Bodies of the Dead 5 and l do hereby declarethat the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof,refe-ence being had to the accompanying drani ugs, and to the lettersand marks thereon.

Of the drawings tbrming part of this speci* cation, Figure l is a viewof the finished casket; Fig. 2. a view by longitudinal section. Fig. 3is a View ofthe body ofthe casket, the lid being removed; and Fig. 4 isa view by transverse section on the red line of Fig. 2.

In each of thesegures, where like parts are shown, like letters andmarks are used to indicate the parts.

The casket of thisinvention is intended for preserving the body of thedead by the use of ice and other refrigerating materials. The exterioris a coat of felt, cloth, or some other non-conducting substance, and isindicated by the dark external line of Figs. 2 and 4, such coatinvesting the entire casket, and having immediately next to it wood ofabout fiveeighths of an inch thickness. rlhe bufteolored portions ofFigs. 2 and 4 represent the wood part of the body of the casket, itbeingomitted in the lid in order the better to show other parts. Vithin vtheweod is a waterjacket made of metal, and indicated by the blue lines ofFigs. 2 and 4. It will be noticed that this water jacket will surroundall but the top surface of the bt dy, and when in use will be lled withcold water formed by the melting of the ice used, the water finding itsway therein from the ite-chamber a through the tubes b, and there beingan outlet for the excess of water, as indicated at c, such outlet bein gproperly controlled by a faucet or valve.

The ice-chamber a is made so as readily to bc lifted out and returned,and has tubes d through which the air passes also, it becoming dry bypassing through this duct. The bottom plate of this duct is ci rfed, t',in order to conform to the shape ofthe body and strengthen the duct. Itwill be perceived that all the air passing over the body is cold dryair, and that necessarily there will comparatively be no moisture ou thebody, and that its surface will be free from all that slimy and clammycondition which exists when a body is c on- `fined without anycirculation of air.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

l. The waterljacket, as arranged, for the purpose ot' preserving thebody of the dead, in combination with the coating offelt, wood, or othernon-conducting substances.

2. Passing a current of external air which has passed the cold tubes orducts over the body, and in direct contact with it, for the purposehereinbefore named.

3. The air-duct f, or its equivalent, when used for the purpose hereindescribed.

4. The detachable ice-chamber a, in combination with the lid of thecasket.

5. The ventilating-pipe d, 1' its equivalent, in combination with theoutlet e, or its equivalent, as arranged.

This specification signed this 14th day of April, 1864.

E.I HALL covEL.

Witnesses:-

THos. T. EVERETT, GILBERT B. TowLEs.

